


Almost Lover

by PunnyMcGee



Series: This is Gospel [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, BOTH, Blood, Both is good, M/M, RIP me, Violence, and there were like a bunch of popular writer on there that were like "aiight", blame thesearchingastronaut aka Caro, both?, don't yell at me for this alright, i'll put a link to it in the notes but fuck guys, like what was i supposed to do?? not rise to the challenge??? give it a happy ending???, major charatcer death, mcs, no i was going to win, or Both, or at least make a lot of people cry trying, she started this with her stream piece, someone in the chat on Caro's stream was like "ANGST OFF", this is my first time writing MCD okay, unfortunately no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:36:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunnyMcGee/pseuds/PunnyMcGee
Summary: "Things had been tense for the past few days as they planned their strategy, bouts of hushed voices and strained tones as the weary paladins discussed tactics and procedures.No amount of planning could have prepared them for what happened, though."





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was done during one of TheSearchingAstronaut's (a.k.a. Caro) streams. [HERE](http://sasaina-ai.tumblr.com/post/156508926823/thesearchingastronaut-i-have-no-apology-this) is the post with my drabble on it and [HERE](http://thesearchingastronaut.tumblr.com/post/156508034757/i-have-no-apology-this-is-for-my-beautiful-stream) is the original post/art. All of my friends have already yelled at me for this, lol.

The battles had always been tough. Ever since they’d all first climbed into Blue and departed their home planet, every battle had been by the skin of their teeth, and sometimes even then, they’d need help to live another day. This one had been no different, despite being an apparently simple mission to hack into a Galran arena’s database for information on Pidge’s family. Things had been tense for the past few days as they planned their strategy, bouts of hushed voices and strained tones as the weary paladins discussed tactics and procedures.

No amount of planning could have prepared them for what happened, though.

Getting in had been easy, Keith and Pidge slipping in unnoticed while Hunk and Shiro caused a distraction on the other end of the Arena. Lance was perched in a higher spot, tucked away in the shadows on his belly, where he would be safe and see the vast, open dome below him. His eyes dashed this way and that, the head of his gun following them like an extension of himself as he shot distant foes with practiced ease. He kept them off Hunk and Shiro on one end of the Arena, and when they seemed to have a handle on it, he saw Keith and Pidge ducking out of the Arena Master’s room and sprint into the open air. Their jetpacks carried them off the ledge and into the Arena, Keith’s bayard already out and cleaving a landing spot amidst the swarm of Galra drones. Lance shot three drones in the head in quick succession, giving Pidge enough room to use her bayard’s whip to grab half a dozen drones and vault them into a fresh battalion that had been heading their way.

Shiro called for them to retreat to the Green lion, his voice solid and grounding above the cacophony of metal and Galran blasters. He glanced up at where Lance was stationed with a pointed look, and the blue paladin nodded in confirmation, whether or not his leader could see it. Dragging himself over his knees until he was back on his feet, he jumped forward and started his hasty descent to join the others. Pidge had apparently cut off the gravity mid battle, and Lance felt the shift in his balance, prepared for it as it was a part of their plan. Debris filtered into the air with the smoke, heavy chunks of metal blocks wreathed in grey coils, and wrecked pillars rolling like dying snakes into the atmosphere. His jets made the descent easier, using the rubble around him to jump off of and avoid other pieces of the building and dead drones.

A flash from the corner of his eyes, and his bayard was swung into position not a moment too soon, firing a sure, clean shot at a Galran that had snuck behind Keith, its body crumpling in on itself before floating off. Keith had been half-turned to swing, only to find his target already taken care off, and even through his visor, Lance could see the surprise and look of thanks when the other glanced up at him. He smirked, and continued jumping down to meet him, Keith shaking his head fondly as he turned to wait for him, hovering easily.

Their relationship was still new - hardly a week old, nothing more than a little test of the romantic waters - but it made Lance feel so invincible that he felt he could take on Zarkon with just his bayard. 

He’d been so distracted by trying to reach the other, just to take his hand and dash back to the Green Lion together, that he didn’t notice a Galra soldier in hiding as he jumped past a block of rubble. What he did see was the change in Keith’s face, how the gentle tilt of his eyes and the eager smirk fell away like water running off rocks, turning into a more terrified look. His brows heaved together to raise mountains on his brow in horror, as he kick-started his jets and rushed forwards before the brunet could even blink at him in confusion.

“Lance, watch out-!” He called, swinging his bayard to activate it while the other reached out to him. But there wasn’t much he could do.

Lance heard the shot before he felt it; a little, simple thing. Nothing more than a quick burst of energy like a bell one too many octaves high. It seemed to ring in his ears, louder than the explosion Hunk had caused earlier as the distraction. When he did feel it, it seared through him like liquid fire, slicing through the back of his armor and erupting out of his chest-plate with little more than a burst of light, burning a hole through his lung and turning his breath to charred charcoal.

He felt his jetpack stutter and sizzle against his back before giving out, his head wrenched back by the force of the blow and shock of the pain that cascaded over him, before numbness soothed it away like the gentle lapping of ocean waves. All he could see was the stars trying to reach through the haze of the battle, a blanket of dark blues and deep violets like the rolling sea, bedazzled thunderclouds in the sky above him. Felt blood well up in his throat, building until it dribbled over his chin like a gentle tear. He could hear Keith screaming his name like a prayer, and maybe a few of those were mixed into his pleas as he thrust himself forwards to Lance where he hung suspended in space, limp and silent.

He only wished he could have felt Keith’s hands grasp his wrists and pull him to his chest, hear him choke out his name one last time, beg with those three words that Lance didn’t know he’d ever have to hear. But his eyes closed long before the red paladin reached him, and tears mixed with blood as Keith cried his name on deaf ears and and a still chest, a quiet heart that had stopped beating before he’d been able to tell him that he loved him one last time.


End file.
